That was DUBAI in 1999 and in 2008… No need to spoil your evening with the picture of 2016… And all they had was oil. They did not even have a culture like us. They did not have land. They reclaimed from the sea. They did not have limestone, bitumen, granite, steel, rubber and so on. They did not even have people. They invited people to come build it. We had more than oil. They had only oil and the desert. They are not Christians. They don’t have Total Experienece, Holy Ghost Service, Shalom, Experience 4.0… Naddddaaaa! We dey here dey fool ourselves. Even the people saying I should not have said Jesus can’t save Nigeria now, go see their pages. They post nudity and use profanity some worship in churches where the pastor drives a bullet proof Range Rover, yet you have members of the congregation that can not afford JAMB forms or pay school fees! Na curse I go dey curse all of una like Jesus curse the fig tree. Awon alayi ni nkon Shey be calling Jesus’ name in vain! Taaaaaaaaarh!!

I met one of the guys, Parkinson, who went to Dubai to work on sounds in the new #DubaiOperaHouse… Here in London. And he said he has been in Dubai for the past 14 months… Working with a consortium on the acoustics of the halls. He showed me some pictures and told me he would be relocating to Dubai, from the Royal School of Music… And I thought to my self, we had the National theatre before they even started developing Dubai. Where is the national theater now? Soon, the Dubai Opera House will be drawing tourists, concerts, awards, and the likes to Dubai and we would still be depending on crude oil prices. The Opera House will soon be making annually, enough money to pay 4 states in the north for 3 years, without shaking. While the governors of those states are cancelling film villages and running to abuja to collect allocations that they will embezzle and chop… Yet be wondering what gave them cancer! Old as our national theater is, it has a futuristic design that just needs touch up to meet standards of the modern day. But no. Why invest in the arts when there is oil money? Mscheeeeew. Then out of the blues now, we will hear that there is a government sourced grant coming to resuscitate it from an international organization. The party Hawks and political vultures will swoop in and divert it, case closed. When we ask why and where the money is, cronies will say witch hunting. 3 years later we will hear that the #dubaioperahouse has contributed $450b to the Emirates funds. And our leaders will be driving pass our national theater. Last year when I said we did not need to sell the national theater some guys thought I was joking. There are cinema halls, banquet halls, offices, complete carpentry facilities, tailoring and costumery… Plus the main bowl of the National Theater. The place can even pay its own salaries and still contribute to the federal purse. But no. We are cursed with watching everything we own go to waste. Because there is oil money to share. Cocoa built Cocoa House. Point at something cocoa has built again. Point at anything that is built, across the country that is not because of oil. Except LAGOS… Abeg make I no go get headache

You are so delusional and an outright ignorant it literally mortifies me. What do you want him to do? If he doesn’t talk, you same people will be on his case saying what he didn’t use his influence to speak out. Now he has spoken you still have something you say. What have you done to add value to the obvious problem he pointed out? Do you even know it exists? He is in the position to use his power and influence to start a much needed conversation that hopefully should lead to action-plans being formulated to critically address this issue. You want him to make the investment himself? Out of his own pocket? Is that what will make you happy and quench the ignorance you shamelessly depict? This is the problem with Nigeria. Young people being completely out of touch with facts and reality. Social Media has robbed you of your right to be knowledgeable and LEGALLY SANE! Reduce its usage and stick to online resources that will make you in tune with a vast known-how. Be a pride of Nigeria. Not a damn walking cliché!

God bless you, the writer, for these views, Now, to the first commenter (De Duchess) who is trying to deride Mr Alibaba for his observations, I think you are an oaf. You contribute nothing to the national discourse except abusing those who do. You deserve to have Okro soup slapped out of your mouth, Fool.

Equity and clean hands is very important. Alibaba raises some very valid points and i salute him for what he has been able to achieve in his career. However, It is the same corrupt government of the past that paid him millions to MC their programs and crack some jokes. I wonder if the past or current leaders of dubai paid or pays jokers millions to MC events for the Government. I once read about how obasanjo once saw how much the Nigerian Government paid Alibaba for a show and Obasanjo shouted Haaa! I wonder how many millions the white house paid the likes of chris rock and eddie murphy and chris tucker to come and crack jokes and MC a program. In actual fact, during capaign events in the USA, some of these comedians contribute to the campaigns and perform for free. I as a Nigerian citizen can also argue that all the millions and millions government paid the likes of Alibaba to crack jokes and MC ocassions is a big waste and should have been spent on education and thats why Nigeria is like this. People like Alibaba just like the land sellers in banana island are benefiting and have benefited from the failed state that is Nigeria. Equity and clean hands. Mr Alibaba, Dont tell me Nonsense.

I am Mr Bitumen. I looted NNPC Dry. My first daughter is getting married and i invite Alibaba or Bovi to be the MC and i pay them 15 Million Naira. They accept. Few months later, it is discovered the money i looted is for turnaround maintenance of Kaduna Refinery. Then Alibaba then goes online and writes a long article about how we dont refine in Nigeria. Thats just a scenario. Same thing with people who buy houses worth billions of naira in banana island in the name of politics, amcon debt,civil service embezllement and subsidy scam. If Alibaba is as good as he is as a comedian to earn that much if not that most of his clients are the people killing this country, let him do a comedy tour across Africa ,europe and america and lets see how much he will make.

I am mister doctor. I build a hospital where the rich in nigeria bring their stolen funds for medical care.

I am Mr school proprietor.I have a school in Ikoyi where thieves bring their children for education.

I am Mr lawyer I defend theives from the long arm of the law and they pay me well for it.

I am mister silver bird I build cinemas where theives and their kin come to watch movies

I am BN commenter. I praise the consumptive exhibitionism on its pages, showing thieves as they wed in London and dubai. where they promote winter collection for clothes which will be bought by thieves without asking where all the money comes from, praying that one day my turn will come to steal the country dry.

Moral: all have sinned and come short of the demands of citizenship. Let’s open work to make niger beta!

@Bitumen, chaiiii chaiiii, you nailed it!. Hmmmmm, and their children go say na hardwork get them to where they are. ‘Amcon’ we know dem dem that benefited. Oil blocks as gifts, and you call them successful men. Biko, if you get oil block, you suppose poor before. Fronting for former thief president and you call yourself role model for entrepreneurs and youth even enter Forbes list. The one I can’t understand is, your papa na thief cos he stole govt money, you read am for paper,you go still they call am hero or show your faces on vlogs. Alibaba no talk 3/4 yes ago about infrastructure decay, na now him eye just clear. Oh sorry, no dinner party for Nollywood and comedians again,dem do like 3 parties in 2014 alone. Abi na N3billion to share as bribe for election, sorry I meant for restructuring nollywood. Anyway, when foundation no good, nothing go stand. You get to demolish and rebuild, and 16yrs decay cannot be completed in 16months. If you no like am,pack comot your husband house cos he was made redundant at work. If you like am, stay and manage with him till he gets back on his feet. Ask Europe and America the basis of having a solid foundation and how perseverance, hardwork and integrity has helped them get to where they are, the same place una leaders and people dey run to. Make una no face una own, who lamenting and murmuring epp? My naija people and sharp and sharp mentality, no wonder their businesses pack up after 5yrs cos of lack of vision and solid foundation . Everything na short term goals. How myopic?

And it is good because we are now realising that all of our hand no clean. Rich or poor. The poor own stand by and do nothing hoping that a rich uncle will solve all their problems. How can he if everything no the theif am?

Bros Ali Baba, i see serious sense in what you said. That same Dubai that you’re talking about, most of these good for nothing leaders have properties and businesses there.

They prefer to loot our money and go and invest it there and i wonder what they go to church/mosque to hear. It is very obvious that its not the same God that you and i know that they serve and its also a big shame because some of our so called Pastors/Imam will never tell them the truth since they’re living well and not feeling the heat.